Whether you are a patient or visitor at Regional, we want your experience with us to be as pleasant as possible. We have provided helpful information to help you during your stay or while visiting a patient in the hospital.

Treatment

Most anterior nosebleeds stop without medical care within 15 minutes. Posterior nosebleeds usually are more serious and need medical care. Treatment may include sealing off the blood vessel that is bleeding.

Self-Care

Stay calm.

Sit up and lean forward.

Pinch the soft parts of your nose together. Hold for at least five minutes without releasing pressure.

Once the bleeding stops, do not pick or blow your nose.

Avoid straining, bending, or lifting.

If the bleeding starts again, reapply pressure for ten minutes.

Medical Intervention

For an anterior nosebleed, your doctor will use a compress soaked in a medication. The medication constricts or shrinks the blood vessel and reduces the pain. Pressure will be applied by pinching the nostrils together. Your doctor may pack the area with gauze. In more severe cases, your doctor may cauterize (seal off) a blood vessel that does not clot on its own.

A posterior nosebleed may require packing the nostril or inserting and inflating a special balloon that applies pressure to the area. If all medical attempts to control bleeding fail, surgery may be needed.

Prevention

To help reduce your chance of getting a nosebleed:

Lubricate dry nasal passages near the front of the nose. Place a small dab of lubricating cream or ointment on your fingertip. Apply the lubricant to the inside of the nose. You may do this at bedtime or up to 3 times during the day. Polysporin and petroleum jelly are examples of lubricants that may be used.

Use a saline nasal spray. These help keep nasal passages moist. Be sure that the nose spray does not contain medications, such as phenylephrine or oxymetazoline. These types of medications should be used for only a few consecutive days.

Do not pick your nose. Cut children's fingernails short to discourage picking.

Humidify the air, especially in bedrooms.

Revision Information

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.

Nosebleeds.
American Academy of Family Physicians Family Doctor website. Available at:
http://familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/diseases-conditions/nosebleeds.html. Updated April 2014. Accessed August 21, 2014.